Gabi Kannenberg

*1983 in Goslar/Germany

Chinese arts

I made my first contact with the Chinese arts when searching for something to take my mind off the books. Discovering a Tai Chi school in my direct neighbourhood, I started to study Yang style Taijiquan in the lineage of Cheng Man Ching as a martial art in 2009 with Nils Klug in Hanover, Germany. As a consequence of my devoted training of 10 years, I have also been formally certificated by Master William C.C. Chen (New York), the teacher of my teacher, to pass on his Taijiquan in 2019. Despite some experiences with calligraphy and Qigong for health, Taijiquan – especially sword fencing and push hands – remains closest to my heart.

Academic background

University studies of German, European and International law in Germany and the UK.
Ph.D. in European Law/Legal Philosophy, dealing with the psychological framework legal and economic systems create for living in Western society and its consequences for individuals.

Current areas of interests

Since 2012 co-organiser of the International Push Hands Meeting; since 2016 writing expert articles for Taiji Forum (German/English).
Still interested in landscapes of thought and how they frame life, I currently work on theorising the experience of freeing the mind by working with the body by drawing upon a modern interpretation of Daoist philosophy and Chinese medicine. My mission is to develop open structures for creative working environments that care for mental health at work – connecting body, heart and spirit.